LETTER: Soon all centre trees will be lost

Peter Lansley, Cedar Drive, Chichester

Published:12:00Saturday 26 August 2017

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I cannot understand why TPOs (Tree Preservation Orders) were placed after, and not before, mature lime trees in West Street were recently felled implying that, had they been in place before felling, the lost limes may have been saved or made safer by careful pruning management?

Public scepticism suggests there are powerful opposed interests against preserving Chichester centre’s irreplaceable mature trees in favour of some proposed barren treeless plaza development which, while lowering tree maintenance costs, will always be justified in the name of ‘safety’ but leaving behind barren, dry, wind-swept, airless, unshaded and traffic-polluted city centre deserts.

No wonder more and more people with money want to ‘escape to the country’ as more town and city centres lose their appeal.

Global-warming-deniers will be unconcerned over the loss of such irreplaceable air-cleaning trees. The fact is there is no policy to replace mature magnificent trees with like for like. Soon there will be no such trees left in our city centres for mental, psychological, emotional health and wellbeing.

Developers and local councillors bequeath us ever more smelly bypasses and dejected spirits as urban areas lose their precious green shady spaces to ever more paving. Those who approve such policies may choose to live in tree-filled countryfied areas far removed from decisions which don’t affect them. Such divisive policies create more crowded airless built-up areas and evermore environmental inequalities.